Vacation News »Great Destinations | By Steve Winston | April 19, 2019.

Long winter got you down? Did your anticipation for Spring turn into suffering with fever or allergies from everything blooming? Are you ready for a change of pace, but also a change of place? The American West is filled with authentic working ranches where you can become a cowboy / girl for a week or two. Cowboys and cowgirls, but also participate in a lot of their activities ... such as ridin ', ropin', and round-up. And if you're inclined towards other outdoor recreational opportunities, these ranches, with towering mountain ranges and flowing-forever plains and vistas without end and "Big Sky" and rivers and lakes, and unpolluted air-and-first-class amenities guests - are fantastic places at which to do it!

Here are my Top 5 Western Ranches in America, places that will make you feel very much at home on the range ...

At Vermejo Ranch, you can stay in Turner's private residence!
(Ted Turner Resorts Courtesy / Vermejo Ranch)

# 5 - VERMEJO PARK RANCH, RATON, NEW MEXICO - The owner of this ranch - and several others in New Mexico - is Ted Turner, of CNN, TNT, Atlanta Braves Baseball, etc. fame. With snow-capped alpine tundra, 19 fishable lakes and over 550,000 stunning acres, Vermejo is a jewel in northern New Mexico. Its various landscape is home to a wide variety of wildlife including elk, bison, and black bears. Whether exploring the highlands of the world, exploring the turn of the century charcoal kilns, fly-fishing gold for Rio Great trout cutthroat, Vermejo has something for everyone. Including 550,000+ acres, 1,200 wild bison, 19 fishable lakes, 30 miles of pristine streams, holistic spa services, and western cuisine with an elegant touch. The ranch has a large selection of accommodations, too, among them intimate, historic cottages; an eco-friendly mountaintop lodge; Or even Ted Turner's own private quarters, in a 25,000 square-foot, turn-of-the-century mansion called Casa Grande. The resort offers a variety of historic and eco-tours, and special experiences with the cowboys during a bison round-up.

The lodge at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch is one of the most beautiful in the West.
(Courtesy Western Pleasure Guest Ranch)

# 4 - WESTERN PLEASURE GUEST RANCH, SANDPOINT, IDAHO - After a drive up winding mountain roads above the scenic village of Sandpoint (named by Rand-McNally readers the "Most Beautiful Town In America" a few years back), you'll arrive at a piece of Paradise. You will feel at home when you go to Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, and with good reason. Janice and Roley Schoonover - fourth generation owners - treat their guests like family, and know every guest's name. Their ranch, only 40 miles from Canada and set amidst the deep-green mountains of the Selkirk Range, is authentic and comfortable and informal. And every room is filled with beautiful art and crafts from Western / Native-American craftspeople. Are not only-down-home but also delicious, as are dinners; The Great Room is one of the most beautiful rooms in the West. And so are the guest rooms inside it, as well as the outlying cabins, from many of you can see the Cabinet Mountains in Montana. The trail rides through beautifully-silent virgin forests, where you can come across a stray cow or two. As you wander around the ranch, you'll come back to an old barn and have a machine-shop with antique tools in it, as well as old red gold green tractors. And when the Schoonover clan treats their guests to an outdoor barbecue as the sun sets over the mountains, and then get out their guitars and banjos for some good old-fashioned fun by the campfire, you will not be able to keep your feet off stompin '.

A beautiful moment in time at Devil's Thumb Ranch.
(Courtesy Devil Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa)

# 3 - DEVIL'S THUMB RESORT RANCH & SPA, TABERNASH, COLORADO - Devil's Thumb is named after the most distinct geologic feature of this region, an enormous rock formation poking up from a mountain miles away. This beautiful ranch offers a total vacation experience, encompassing luxury accommodations, gourmet dining, and upscale amenities such as the excellent spa. This 6,000-acre property offers typical Western pursuits, such as trail-riding, feed-rides, and learning and experiencing cowboy life, but also such options as mountain biking, fly-fishing, zip-lining, stand-up paddle boarding ( SUP), SUP yoga and yoga studio (with memorable views of the Continental Divide), geo caching, adventure racing and hiking. Dining choices include a tavern called Heck's; the upscale Grotto Suraboza, and the atmospheric Ranch House Restaurant & Saloon, and there's also a coffee shop and a distinctive wine cellar. The ranch's specialty is the succulent wagyu steak, from 100% pure Colorado wagyu steers raised right here on the ranch; it's the best steak you'll ever have. Devil's Thumb Ranch has a corral-full of awards, too, among them "Conde Nast Traveler" and USA Today top picks, and a "Wine Spectator" Award of Excellence.

C Lazy U Ranch sits amidst Mother Nature's majesty.
(Courtesy C Lazy U Ranch)

# 2 - C LAZY U RANCH, GRANBY, COLORADO -This is C Lazy U Ranch's Golden Anniversary ... it opened in 1919. C Lazy U prides itself on offering "high-class amenities and down-home experiences." Here, every direction leads to pleasant surprises. For example, you can walk against a backdrop of 10,000 'peaks and wander into green pastures with horses grazing peacefully, or into a corral where a cowboy is shoeing one of the herd. There are 40 individually-decorated guest rooms and private cabins, all of which have been recently upgraded, and most of which have stone fireplaces. The furniture is crafted from fine Western woods by excellent craftspeople, and there's beautiful art and furnishings everywhere, along with Mother Nature's palette all around you. The dining room is a perfect example of Western luxury, and the food is gourmet. This ranch has won numerous awards from the media and professional associations, and it is not hard to see why. There are programs for both young and old, and on-site professional fishing guides who can help you catch your own dinner. Archery, mountain-biking, tennis lessons, trap-shooting, zip-lining and climbing are all available along with real cowboys. When you sit out on the beach at the lodge ... heaven is spread out before you. And you'll realize that it does not matter any more Western - or special - than this.

And now, my pick for the No. 1 Western Ranch In America ...

Red Reflet Ranch offers authentic Western luxury ... and its own private airstrip.
(Courtesy Red Reflection Ranch)

# 1 - RED REFLECTION RANCH, TEN SLEEP, WYOMING - "Reflection" (re-flay) means reflection in French. And the Red Reflection Ranch is one of the most authentic Western experiences - along with some of the best guest amenities - in America. Here, under the "Big Sky," you'll breath the freshest air, you'll never be afraid, you'll never see it again most peaceful natural surroundings you've ever seen. The ranch sits on 25,000 acres that go up to 8,300 'in elevation, with spectacular views everywhere you turn, and landscapes ranging from high-desert to forests to multi-colored canyons. Here, you can enjoy horseback riding, trail rides with cowboys, cattle work, off-trail adventure rides, all sorts of game, ATVs, mountain biking, star-gazing, climbing-walls, tennis, fishing, and swimming, more the most magnificent nighttime displays of the constellations you'll ever see. Red Reflection can also teach you cowboy skills such as roping and barrel racing. There's even a "Cowboy Waterpark" for those who love aquatic recreation. The accommodations are beautiful cottages, which are stocked with gourmet food and beverages for your arrival. Dining is a Five-Star experience, and almost everything on your table has grown up on the ranch. There's a great wine cellar, as well. Breakfast is typically taken in your cottage, making breakfast in bed while gazing out at a convenient location. And if you own a plane, you can have a horse on the banks of a stream within minutes after arrival - because Red Reflection even has its own private airstrip!

If you've got any favorite western ranches, we'd love to hear about 'em!